Defending champions Liverpool must face Napoli for the second season in a row, while beaten finalists Tottenham were paired with Bayern Munich in the draw for the Champions League group stages.
The two other teams drawn in Liverpool’s group – E – were Salzburg and Genk, the champions of Austria and Belgium, respectively. Although they are tricky opponents for sure, they are not ones who should worry Jurgen Klopp’s men unnecessarily.
Spurs’ group, B, is completed by Greek side Olympiacos, who came through qualifying to reach the last 32, and Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade, who memorably beat Liverpool last season, which should serve as a warning to Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and Klopp’s.
City have plenty to prove in this competition, not least because they will play this season under the not insignificant shadow of a financial fair play investigation.
Liverpool are understood to be prioritising their domestic campaign this season, although this notion was rejected by club ambassador Ian Rush, who represented the Reds at the draw.
He told PA: “You can’t prioritise anything. Maybe if you ask the British players, they would say that. But there’s a lot of players from elsewhere who might say something different because of the exposure they received for winning the Champions League.
“If you ask most Liverpool supporters, they would want to win the Premier League but it’s going to be very difficult. In a way it was easier to win the Champions League last season because we got 96 points and still didn’t win it. But we’ve got off to a good start and we’ve got to maintain it.
“With this Champions League group, we know Napoli are good but hopefully we can get into a position where we might be able to rest a few players.”
Elsewhere, Real Madrid will face French giants Paris St Germain, Club Brugge and Galatasaray in Group A, while Barcelona were drawn in Group F alongside Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague.
Italian champions Juventus take on Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow in Group D and Group G comprises Zenit St Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon and RB Leipzig.
